Depositor



Oct.l9,1926. 1,603,863

G. S. PERKINS DEPOSITOR Filed Jan. 2, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Oct. '19 1926.

G. S. PERKINS DEPOS ITOR Filed Jan. 2', 1924 INVENTOR .mM

ATTORNEYS Patented Get. 19, 1926..

LxA Bag? GEORGE S. PERKINS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL EQUIPMENT 'CGMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

DEPOSITOR.

Application filed January 2, 1924. Serial No. 683,983.

This invention relates to depositors for confectionery material and the like.

The invention, while capable oi? general application, finds one advantageous use in connection with depositors which are. designed to deposit mixed confectionery materials, particularly mixtures which include solid and liquid constituents. For example the mixture may consist oi a caramel-like substance which will low at depositor temperatures and substances which are solid at depositor temperatures, such as shredder cocoanut. The'latter tends to settle the liquid while in the supply tank of the depositor and must be continually stirred to maintain a homogeneous mixture.

In depositing materials oi this general nature it has been found that even though a homogeneous mixture is maintained in the supply tank of the depositor, the material, as deposited, is not always homogeneous. The tendency is for more of the liquid constituent to be deposited than the solid constituent. This is largely due to the fact that the solids have to be carried by the liquid and their movement is readily ar rested by any obstructions in their path. While pump mechanism is employed to suck in the material from the supply tank and. subsequently. eject it through nozzles the liquid constituents are more readily drawn in by suction through the outlet ports of the supply tank than are the solid constituents. The latter, particularly when made up of long shreds, tend to pack in hack oi the outlet ports and not pass through them into the pumps. This invention has for an object the provision of mechanism for agitating the ma terial to be deposited at a location closely adjacent the. outlet ports of the supply tank to prevent the solid constituents from packing behind and clogging the out et ports.

in carrying out this object, it has been found desirable to have the agitators located as closely as possible to the cut oil valve for the outlet ports and this necessitates that the agitators extend into a groove in the rear face of the pump bar of the depositor. The pump bar is usually mounted for convenient removal to enable periodical cleansing and it has been customary to mount the pump bar for removal by an endwise sliding motion, which is prevented by the presence of the agitators in said groove.

It is another object of the invention to mount the agitators so that they are conveniently removable from the supply tank so as to enable removal of the pump bar in the usual manner as well as to enable the agitators themselves to be conveniently cleaned.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following description and in the illustrative embodiment oi. the invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a side elevational view of a depositor embodying the invention;

2 is an end elevational view thereof, lool from the right hand end of 1 certain portions being broken away to more clearly reveal the agitator mechanism;

Fig. is a sectional elevational view of i) the supply tank showing the agitator mechanism and its relation to the pump bar and the cut off valve for" the outlet ports of the supply tank; and

Fig. t is an enlarged fragmentary detail view illustrative of the manner of mounting the agitator mechanism for conven ent removal.

Referring to these drawings ;a depositor A, of well known form, has been illustrated largely in conventional term particularly with regard to the article or mold feeding mechanism which according to thisinvention may be. of any desired type. B represents the supply receptacle, usually provided with a heating jacket G and on the front face of this receptacle is the usual pump bar (Z which has a dovetail e mounted in ways formed on the receptacle, whereby it may be removed by an endwise slidins; movement. Formed in bar (Z are a plurality of vertical cylinders and mounted in each is a piston The heads or all the pistons g are connected to a common cross bar 72 the ends of which are slidably mounted in ways formed in a member 2, secured to receptacle B. The ends of bar h are provided with trunnions j which are connect ed by links in to the usual pump bar operating mechanism, not shown.

The pump bar in its rear face has a longitudinal groove Z which registers with the longitudinal outlet in of the supply tank B. Ports a, one for each cylinder f, are provided and a cut oil bar 0 having openings capable oi? registering with these ports, is mounted to slide transversely in the pump bar and control the communication between groove Z and ports a. This cut off bar is right angular in section and its lower leg controls in a similar n'ianner the communication between the cyliders f and their outlet nozzles 77. The bar, when in one position, permits communication between receptacle B and cylinders 7 and closes off communication between these cylinders and their nozzles 7 The bar, when moved to anotl'ier position permits communication between the cylinders and nozzles and cuts off communication between the cylinders and the receptacle B. The cut off bar 0 is reciprocated at properly timed intervals and in coordinated relation with pistons gr by any suitable mechanism.

An example of one suitable mold feedinc; mechanisn'i and operating means for such mechanism as well as for the pistons g and cut oil bar 0 will be found in UuS. Letters Patent No. 1328,9419, granted December 2, 1919, on an invention of A. L. Bausman. All such operating mechanism is intended to be operated from one or the other of two shafts r and a which are connected by gear ing 25 to run at equal speed and one of which is driven from any suitable source of power.

The present invention is concerned more especially with the provision of agitating means in the supply receptacle B. F or the purpose of keeping the contents of this receptacle mixed, a stirring device of not unusual form is provided. Such device consists of a rod 10 attached by pins 11 to a shaft 12, which is rotatably mounted in the end walls of receptacle B and emerges therefrom through suitable stutling boxes 13, one of which is indicated in Fig. 1. Shaft 12 is driven byspur gears 14 one of which is mounted on a stud 15 and carries a sprocket- 16. The latter is connected by a chain 17 to a sprocket 18 fixed on the drive shaft 1, heretofore referred to.

The stirring means just described is not, however, su'llicient to enable the depositor to properly handle mixtures of the type described and other agitating mechanism is provided which will now be described Such mechanism consists of a series of fingers 20 fixed to an endwisereciprocable rod 21. The ends of this red are cut, as indicated at 22 in Fig. 4, to interlock with correspondingly cut ends of short rods 23 and 24, which are slidablymounted, one in each end wall of receptacle and emerge through stuffing' boxes indicated at 25. A collar 26 is slid over the interlocked portions of rod 21 and rod 23 to bind them together and the collar is held in place by a set screw 27. A similar collar is applied to the joint between rods 21 and 24.. The outer end of rod 23 is attached by a pin and slot connection to one arm of a bell crank lever 28, pivoted at 29 to a suitable bracket secured to receptacle B. The other arm of lever 28 is pivotally connected at 30 to a member 31 and the latter is pivotally connected at 32 to the upper end of a rod 33 fixed to an eccentric strap 34, encou'lpassing an eccentric 35, fixed on the described shaft The pivots 31 and are disposed with their axes at right angles and the equivalent of a universal connection is provider between the rod 53 and lever 28.

By preference, one linger 20 is provided for each outlet at and the movcment of rod 21 is sullicient to carry each finger from one side of its outlet a to the other side and preferably the stroke is equal to the center to con ter distance between the outlets n. A complete traverse of that portion of slot Z containing the outlet ports is thereby effected. The fin 20 are shown in their mid-posi tions 5 2 and the eccentric is set so that. the. I move across their outlet ports just heiorc the suction stroke of pistons w. to clear the outlets.

In operation, the agitator fingers 20 are continuously reciprocated from eccentric 35, by the connections described, and the reciprocating movement is coordinated with the movement of pistons 9 so that the fingers move across the outlets n to accomplish their cleaning function just prior to the suction stroke. The fingers, being in constant motion, keep the contents stirred at a most important part of the receptacle, being the lowermost part and a part not reached by the usual rotary agitating means, such as 10. With the shredded material, thus agitated, the. mixture drawn in by the pistons g is more nearly of the desired homogeneous nature than would otherwise be the case and clogging or restriction of the outlets n by the packing of the shredded material in groove Z is avoided. w

When it is desired to remove the agitators 20, the set screws 27 are loosened and the collars 26 slid axially a sufficent dstance to uncover the joints between shaft 21 and its adjacent shafts. The shaft is preferably first turned into the position shown in Fig". 4, in which it can be lifted free of the shafts and 241- and readily withdrawn from receptacle B. After the removal of the agit2itors, the pumn bar (Z may be removed in the usual manner by an endwise sliding movement.

The invention has been disclosed herein, in an embodiment at present preferred, for illustrative purposes but the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.

What ll claim is 1. In a depositor for mixed solid and liquid materials, a supply receptacle for said materials having an outlet port, pump mechanism for withdrawing measured charges of said materials through said port, and agitating means movable back and forth across said port in a lateral direction with respect to said receptacle to move the solid materials so that they may be drawn through said port by the pumping mechanism.

2. In a depositor, a supply receptacle closed at its lower end and provided with a series of outlet ports in one side wall thereof and an outwardly converging passage lea-ding to such ports, agitating means movable back and forth in said passage in a transverse direction with respect to said receptacle and in closely adjacent relation to and across said ports.

3. In a depositor, wherein a supply recep tacle is provided near its base with an outlet passage leading to a pump mechanism, a reciprocatory operating member movable transversely of said receptacle and a series of lingers secured to said member and extending into said passage.

l. In a depositor, a supply receptacle having an outlet slot, a pump bar secured to said receptacle and having a slot communicating with the first named slot and a series of outlet ports leading from said second named slot, a series of lingers extending into said slots and terminating closely adjacent said ports, and means for agitating said fingers.

5. In a d-epositor, a supply receptacle hav ing an outlet slot, a pump bar secured to said receptacle and having a slot communicating with the first named slot and a series of outlet ports leading from said second named slot, agitating means removably mounted within said receptacle and including a series of fingers extending into said slots, and means for reciprocating said agitating means. 7

6. In a depositor, a supply receptacle having an outlet slot, a pump bar secured to said receptacle and having a slot communicating with the first named slot and a series of outlet ports leading from said second named slot agitating means within said receptacle and including a series of fingers extending into said slots, and means for recipr eating said agitating means and having a detachable connection therewith.

7. In a dcpositor, a supply receptacle having an outlet slotin one side wall near the base thereof, a transverse member slidably mounted at its ends in opposite side Walls ot' the receptacle and extending through the latter in parallel relation with, but outside said slot, means for reciprocating said mem her, a series of fingers secured to the latter and entering said slot, and a detachable connection between that portion of said member carrying said lingers and the end portions of said member.

in testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

GEORGE S. PERKINS. 

